Philosophy (master)
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Programme structure

The duration of the Master's programme is two years, and the programme consists of 120 credits.

The master's degree consists of the following parts:

  • 10 credit obligatory course on philosophical theory and method 
  • 50 credits of elective courses
  • 60 credits consisting of
    • either a longer independent work of 60 credits, or a shorter independent work of 30 credits plus 30 credits of elective courses

The programme option Ancient Philosophy is no longer accepting new students: If you are interested in studying Ancient Philosophy, you can choose it as a specialization in the master's degree through elective courses in the study program of Philosophy.

For students who have already been admitted to the programme option Ancient Philosophy, see the programme structure here.

Study progression

You can choose between two courses of study, the one with a master's thesis of 60 credits, the other with a master's essay of 30 credits:

If you choose to write a master's thesis of 60 credits

4. semester FIL4090 - Master's Thesis in Philosophy
3. semester Semester abroad / FIL4090 – Master's Thesis in Philosophy Semester abroad / 10 credit MA course in philosophy
2. semester FIL4090 – Master's Thesis in Philosophy Two 10 credit MA courses in philosophy
1. semester FIL4081 - Philosophical Method and Practice 10 credit MA course in philosophy 10 credit MA course in philosophy
  10 credits 10 credits 10 credits

If you choose to write a master's thesis of 30 credits

4. semester

 FIL4091 – Master's Thesis in Philosophy 10 credit MA course in philosophy 10 credit MA course in philosophy
3. semester3. semester

Semester abroad / FIL4091 – Master's Thesis in Philosophy

Semester abroad / 10 credit MA course in philosophy

 

Semester abroad / 10 credit MA course in philosophy

2. semester

 FIL4091 – Master's Thesis in Philosophy 10 credit MA course in philosophy 10 credit MA course in philosophy

1.semester

FIL4081- Philosophical Method and Practice

 10 credit MA course in philosophy 10 credit MA course in philosophy

 

10 credits

10 credits

10 credits

Semester abroad

We recommend that you go abroad in the third semester. If you choose to write a master's essay of 30 credits, you can take courses giving 20 credits at the institution abroad. If you choose to write a master's thesis of 60 credits, it may be useful to move part of the work on the thesis from the third to the second semester, so that you can take more than one course in your semester abroad. To organise this please contact the student advisor well ahead of your stay.

10 credits obligatory course in philosophical theory and method

In the first semester you take FIL4081 - Philosophical Theory and Method. (This course replaces the earlier FIL4080 – Thesis Seminar in Philosophy.) 

Elective courses

Depending on the number of credits in the master's thesis, students must choose subjects corresponding to either 50 or 80 credits.

Below are suggestions for course packages that are recommended to be taken if you want to follow a research group. These courses are not compulsory and you are free to choose how you want to combine courses from the proposed packages. It is not guaranteed that all subjects in the course packages will be selectable at any time during the degree, as not all subjects are offered regularly. Changes to the subject packages may occur.

Ancient philosophy

The Society of Ancient Philosophy has activities of relevance to those interested in ancient philosophy, students who wish can connect with it.

Practical philosophy

The Practical Philosophy research network has activities of relevance to these courses and we recommend that students connect with it.

Philosophy of science

Centre for Philosophy and the Sciences(CPS) has activities of relevance to these courses and we recommend that students connect with it.

Epistemology, the philosophy of mind, and language

Oslo Mind, Language and Epistemology Network has activities of relevance to these courses and we recommend that students connect with it.

History of philosophy

Aesthetics

Courses offered outside of the course packages listed above 

Since the content of many of the courses will vary from year to year, it may be possible to get credits for the same course twice. Special course codes are available for this purpose. If you are considering this option, please contact the programme administration as early as possible to know if it can be done. Usually you cannot get credits for the same course a third time.

On the master's programme in philosophy you can get recognition for courses from other subjects than philosophy, provided they are on the master's level and have philosophical content or are clearly relevant for your master?s thesis or essay. The limit is normally 20 credits.

Please apply with an e-mail to the programme administrator. Two courses are automatically recognized on the programme and no application is needed: KFL4070 – Feminist Ethics and KUN4232 – Philosophies of the Visual. The following courses are also recognized, but are only offered in Norwegian: KFL4010 – Feministisk vitenskapsteori, KUN4335 – Estetiske teorier, GRE4001 – Innf?ring i gresk I for masterstudenter og LAT4001 – Innf?ring i latin I for masterstudenter. 

For students starting autumn 2018 or before

You can choose between two courses of study, the one with a master's thesis of 60 credits, the other with a master's essay and a second essay both of 30 credits:

If you choose to write a master's thesis

4. semester FIL4090 - Master's Thesis in Philosophy
3. semester FIL4090 – Master's Thesis in Philosophy 10 credit MA course in philosophy
2. semester Semester abroad / FIL4090 – Master's Thesis in Philosophy Semester abroad /  Two 10 credit MA courses in philosophy
1. semester FIL4080 - Thesis Seminar in Philosophy 10 credit MA course in philosophy 10 credit MA course in philosophy
  10 credits 10 credits 10 credits

If you choose to write two essays

4. semester Course with essay *
3. semester FIL4091 – Master's Thesis in Philosophy 10 credit MA course in philosophy
2. semester Semester abroad / FIL4091 – Master's Thesis in Philosophy Semester abroad / Two 10 credit MA courses in philosophy
1. semester FIL4080 - Thesis Seminar in Philosophy 10 credits course  10 credits course 
  10 credits 10 credits 10 credits

We recommend that you go abroad in your second semester.

* Students taking the course with essay in the fourth semester do so in connection with a course taught in the same semester. Please contact the student advisor for information. The exam is normally an essay of 25-50 pages. The supervisor is normally the teacher on the course. Students are entitled to a total of 5 hours of supervision.

Part-time studies

The programme does not have a special tailoring for part-time studies but it is possible to have a study progress of less than 100 % based on application. Note that part-time students must be available at daytime. There are no evening classes. Guidelines for part-time studies.

Diploma and degree

The programme leads to the following degree: Master of Philosophy in Philosophy.

The diploma is issued when you have completed the courses that meet the requirements for a degree. Read more about diplomas.

Course and semester pages

Click on each course (see table above) to find, among other things:

  • Schedule
  • Exam time and location
  • Syllabus and learning requirements

Study quality 

Study programmes and courses are regularly evaluated to ensure and develop the quality of educational activities. 

Published Nov. 6, 2024 10:22 AM - Last modified Feb. 21, 2025 11:04 AM